After NFL Draft, Miami Dolphins prepare, wait for lockout to end

Dolphins preparing to sign rookie free agents and also evaluating 2011 opponents during work stoppage.

May 2, 2011|By Andrew Carter, Sun Sentinel

DAVIE — Ordinarily Jeff Ireland would have been a while.

Instead, in the moments after the NFL Draft ended on Saturday the Miami Dolphins' general manager made his way down to the first floor of the team's training facility and walked behind the podium for his post-draft press conference.

"Obviously," Ireland said to media members, "you guys are seeing me about two and a half hours earlier than you probably would [have]."

He was early, of course, because the on-again, off-again, on-again NFL lockout has limited what Ireland can do these days.

Without the lockout, he would have spent the hours after the draft signing undrafted free agents and inviting them to the team's rookie mini-camp.

With the lockout in place Ireland's work day ended early on Saturday. At least in theory.

A new process began on Sunday — one in which the Dolphins planned to restock their board and identify which undrafted free agents they'd want to bring in when the time comes.

In that sense, Ireland said, the lockout isn't a bad thing; it has allowed more time to evaluate prospects.

"We are going to sit down [on Sunday] and regroup," Ireland said.

"I think it is really going to give us a great opportunity to reset the board, kind of look back at what we have on the team right now and kind of refocus our efforts on going after the right college free agents that we want for our team."

When the Dolphins can make such moves remains unclear.

The NFL remains closed for business given the lockout, which a higher court late last week ruled was back on — at least for now.

A more permanent ruling could come later this week from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

In normal times, the Dolphins would have hosted a rookie mini-camp this weekend, welcoming those players it drafted and those it signed as free agents.

But the prospect of a rookie mini-camp is unlikely, Ireland said — even if the lockout is lifted soon.

"It is a fluid situation," he said. "I don't believe so now, but I don't know."

While Miami and the NFL's other 31 teams wait to be taken out of limbo, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano joked on Saturday that he'd use the time "to go to Disney World."

In reality, Sparano said he has spent these uncertain times planning for when there will be football again.

"One thing that we've had to do here and my coaches are a little bit tired of hearing me right now with this whole thing is it's Plan A, B, C, D, E," Sparano said.

"So from our end [we are] staying ahead of the curve that way and making sure that when and if we can get our football team back in here that we are 100 percent ready to go."

Sparano said he and his staff have spent a lot of time researching the Dolphins' 2011 opponents. The coaches have also been evaluating those players Miami expects to have on the roster after the league's labor situation is resolved.

When the lockout was briefly lifted last week, Sparano said he had a chance to meet with some players who came by the Dolphins' training facility.

There wasn't time for new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to hand out playbooks, Sparano said, but some players were able to meet with new coaches for the first time.

"It felt like football," Sparano said.

The goal now is for the Dolphins to be prepared when the time comes to experience that feeling again.